Drat! It's raining outside. Let's order in. Pizza again? Chinese? Just for a change, my dear, let's try a pate de foie de canard, an oyster salad, quail with grapes and, oh, let's be daring, a tarte aux framboises.
Time was, when you wanted such a meal, you had to go to a fancy restaurant. No longer. In major cities from San Francisco to New Orleans to New York City, home-delivery services are springing up to rush gourmet fare from restaurants to the couch-bound affluent. In addition, many top-of-the-line restaurants are delivering their own plastic-packaged food, largely to combat the still...